The Engagement Comes After The Wedding?

Frustration -- typing this in for the third time due to screwy keyboards and glitches. Forgive the typos and grammer, but really, enough is enough!


Boating on the Mekong River --- One of my Cambodian physician friends invited me to a cruise on the Mekong River to toast a fellow colleague and his fiancee -- both physicians -- to celebrate their upcoming marriage. I, too, knew this young man having worked with him at a mission clinic 3 years ago. About 25 people boarded a open boat and celebrated with fruit and soft drinks. It turned out that this was really put together by a visiting medical team, so aside from the groom, bride to be, and their parents, the "toasters" were all white people. I met a kidney doctor, a gi doc, an Army psychiatrist, a cardiologist, a CT surgeon, an anesthesiologist, and some nurses. The team that day had done an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair! They were from Seattle, Colorado, Ohio, Washington DC. It was fun to watch them and to realize that while cultural issues abound, love between a man and a woman, when God is involved, is truly wonderful. What a lovely evening!

(As I have experienced here before, I had a psychic time warp realizing I was on the "Mekong", for 30 years ago, during my "formative years", the word had such a different significance.)

Sunday afternoon, we met with a passionate young man who has a heart for street children; this he does on his time and his dime. We explored ways in which we may work together in the future.

Today, Monday, I met with Maly, a woman immigrating to the US (Wooster) -- we were able to share a little more of what she is looking forward to. She is a reserved woman, but does seem to be anticipating excitedly her journey. I asked two of the Khmer women a part of the discussion what their observations were, and they both agreed that she is excited to be coming.

Maly and her uncle said that they wished, on behalf of her parents, to invite me to go to her home to meet her parents. They will take me there (a three hour drive) on Wednesday. It will be good to get some pictures and video of her family and home to give us a glimpse of who she is and where she came from!

Tonight, Dave and I met with two Colorado docs to get an update on the progress of their vision to build a hospital in a province north of here. They have purchased land and are proceeding!

I thank you for joining me on this journey! We are being productive, are healthy and rested, and enjoying the work and fellowship.